Minimal trauma surgical needle



1957 1.. D. KURTZ ET AL 2,811,157

MINIMAL TRAUMA SURGICAL NEEDLE Filed Aug. 19, 1954 a @jg %.15

ATTORNEY United States Patent C MINIlVIAL TRAUMA SURGICAL NEEDLE Leonard D. Kurtz, Woodmere, and James A. toltz, Roslyn Heights, N. Y., assignors to J. A. Delrnatel & Son, Inc., Queens Village, N. Y., a company Application August 19, 1954, Serial No. 450,974

3 Claims. (Cl. 128-339) This invention relates to an improved minimal trauma surgical needle and to the method for making the same. More particularly, the present invention relates to a method for manufacturing a surgical needle which possesses increased sharpness without any sacrifice of rigidity and which may be used in all types of surgical suturing.

Heretofore there have been two types of needles utilized in surgical suturing. One of these types is known as a cutting needle and is used for suturing the outer epidermis or other tough tissues, which operation requires a sharp needle. However, when suturing the more delicate internal tissues it has been common practice to use a type of needle known as a non-cutting needle which passes through the tissues with the lateral surfaces of the needle pushing aside any blood vessels which may be in the path of movement of the needle. It can be readily appreciated that the necessity for both types of needles results in great inconvenience, both from the point of view of the hospital which must stock both types of needle and from the point of view of the persons working with this equipment who must be certain that the proper needle is always available and is used in the correct manner.

In general, it is the function of all surgical equipment to keep trauma to a minimum. In surgical suturing techniques this is achieved by providing the smallest possible opening for the passage of the thread through the tissues and by using the sharpest possible needle to prevent bruising delicate tissues. It can be readily seen that the nee-cl for a sharp needle to prevent trauma conflicts with the need for a needle with rounded surfaces for a non-cutting needle. Thus the prior art has recognized that the above two requirements are incompatible and accordingly has provided separate needles for each use.

The present invention describes a method of manufacturing a suturing needle which can serve as both a cutting and non-cutting needle. In addition, the improved needle resulting from the method herein described has increased sharpness over the prior art needles and yet serves to push the blood vessels aside when passing through tissue rather than cutting the same. According to the method of this invention an ordinary suturing needle of circular cross section is first formed. These needles are of a wellknown variety and may be either curved or straight as required. The needle is then machined, as by grinding, adjacent the end portion thereof so that at least one flat face is formed. Thus in efifect a chiseled edge is provided on the point of the needle. The sharp lateral edges between the faces on the point of the needle are then rounded so that there is no cutting except by the tip of the point of the needle. For this reason the needle can be used as a non-cutting needle as the rounded lateral edges of the point of the needle will push aside blood vessels rather than cutting through the vessels.

According to the present invention either 1, 2 or 3 flat faces may be provided on the point of the needle. Since only the point of the needle is machined there is no sacrifice in the rigidity of the needle.

2 An object of the present invention is to provide a surgical suturing needle which may be used as both-a cutting and a non-cutting needle.

A further object of this invention is to provide a method for making a needle which possesses increased sharpness over surgical needles used heretofore and which reduces trauma to tissues when suturing.

Still another object of this invention is to provide an improved surgical suturing needle and a method for making the same in which the 'n'eedle'is provided with a sharp point and yet there are no sharp lateral edges on the needle to cut adjacent tissues.

Other objects and many of the attendant advantages of this invention will be readily appreciated when con sidered in connection with the accompanying drawing wherein:

Fig. 1 is a side elevation of a surgical suturing needle made in accordance with the present invention,

Fig. 2 is an enlarged elevation of a prior art suturing needle,

Fig. 3 is an elevational view of a prior art needle showing one of the steps in making an improved needle,

Fig. 4 is a side elevation of one form of the improved needle,

- Fig. 5 is a sectional view along the line 5-5 of Fig. 4,

Fig. 6 is a sectional view similar to Fig. 5 showing a second embodiment of the present invention, and

Fig. 7 is a sectional view illustrating still another embodiment of the present invention;

Referring now to the drawing and more particularly to Fig. 1, there is shown at 1 a suturing needle within the end of which is fixed a length of surgical gut 2. The assembly of the needle with the surgical gut is accomplished in any known manner as, for example, by pressing the gut within a hollow end portion in the needle.

An elevational view of prior art needles is shown in Fig. 2. This needle is formed with a body portion 3 of circular cross section and a tapering end portion 4 which is also of circular cross section. According to the method of the present invention, this needle is given increased sharpness with no sacrifice in the rigidity of the needle by machining one surface of the end portion of the needle along a line 5 as shown in Fig. 3. The resulting needle is provided with a body portion 6 of circular cross section and an end portion 7 having a flat face 8 and an inner curved surface 9 as shown in Fig. 5.

The lateral edges between the faces 8 and 9 may be machined as by grinding to form rounded edges so that all sharp edges are eliminated.

Alternative embodiments of the present invention are shown in Figs. 6 and 7. In Fig. 6 the end portion of the needle is machined on two surfaces to form two flat faces 14 and 11 adjacent the curved surface 12 of the needle. In Fig. 7 the end portion of the needle is shown as being machined on three faces to form three flat surfaces 13, 14 and 15 so that the end portion of the needle is of triangular cross section. It is readily apparent that the lateral edges between adjacent faces of the needles shown in Figs. 6 and 7 may be blunted so as to eliminate all sharp edges.

By virtue of the present invention an exceedingly sharp needle is provided and, since only the end portion of the needle is machined there is no sacrifice in the rigidity of the needle. Furthermore, since there are no sharp lateral edges on the needle, it may be used as both a cutting and non-cutting needle. The increased sharpness of the point of the needle assures reduced trauma and the absence of sharp lateral surfaces to surrounding tissues.

Having thus described the invention it is obvious that prevents damage mimerous variations and modifications may be employed without departing from the essentials thereof.

What I claim as new and desire to be secured by Let r fa t .1 r Y minimal trauma needle comprising a' body porti'onof circular cross section and an end portion having two flat faces and curved surfaces between said faces whereby no sharp lateral edges are presented.

2.'A minimal "trauma needle comprising a body portion of circular cross section and an end portion having three fiat facesforming a triangular cross section and curved surfaces between said faces whereby no sharp lateral edges are. presented.

3. A needle comprising a body portion of circular cross section, an end portion having at least one flat face and References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Edwards Julie 11, 1907 Davis Dec. 18, 1928 

